The Seed of Freedom R1
by Demons Anarchy of Pride
Summary: An alternate turn of events of my story Code Geass: The Miraculous Birthday. Lelouch hated war, and he hated conflict. He always wanted to find a way to bring an end to this never-ending cycle of pain. Now, with this strange power known as Geass, and with those who trust him at his side, Lelouch has the power to sever the chain of despair. Kira-like Lelouch you have been warned!
1. Turn 01: Free Wings of Azure

Code Geass: The Seed of Freedom

_**Stage 01: Free Wings of Azure**_

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><p>"In order to create something, something of equal value must be given." –Equivalent Exchange, Fullmetal Alchemist<p>

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><p><em>The Holy Empire of Britannia... it is a colossal behemoth whose influence has already covered one third of the entire world. Several nations have fallen to its might, and many stand in opposition. In this world, three nations currently exist: The Holy Britannian Empire, the EU, and the Chinese Federation. Seven years ago, Britannia had declared war on Japan, seemingly for no reason at all other than the Sakuradite metal mines on Mt. Fuji. At first, it seemed as though both countries were evenly matched. However, amidst the countless deaths, Britannia had unveiled its latest weapon: the Autonomous Armored Knights, or the Knightmare Frames.<em>

_In less than a month, Japan fell to Britannia. Its people were stripped of their rights, their culture, their history, their lands, and soon enough, even their own name was taken away from them._

_Area 11. What was originally a prideful name was replaced by nothing more but a mere number. It has been seven years since then, and now, the world is on the verge of a great change, a change that has never been seen before..._

_And to think, it all began with the tolling of a bell._

_~~~Free Wings of Azure~~~_

Seven Years Ago, Nagoya...

Lelouch could no longer hold it in.

It was all too much for him.

The smell was becoming putrid, right to the point of rotting.

Grasping his mouth tightly, Lelouch ran over to a nearby corner and felt vile liquid flow out from his mouth, splashing against the ground with traces of green and brown. He could still taste the lingering vomit in his mouth, a trail of it leaking down his chin and dripping unto his pant's leg. He could still smell it, even from here, and the smell was only growing stronger.

He lifted his head up, and saw a mangled corpse lying on the ground not far from him. It was a woman with burned hair, her skin pale and her eyes wide, mouth agape and a giant hole in her lower torso, her clothes ragged and torn. In her arms was a child who looked Nunnally's age, a boy judging from the looks of it. His face was buried deep in her chest, his tiny hands clinging to her shirt for dear life.

Lelouch had never felt so horrible in all of his life. He tried to ignore the smell and stood up, moving his arm to wipe away the drips of bile from his mouth and walked over to his friend and sister, patiently waiting for him. Suzaku was sitting on a rock with both hands balled into fists while Nunnally sat beside him, her hands playing with the hem of her dress.

Ever since this whole thing started, Suzaku had been a shadow of his former self. Lelouch didn't like him when he first met him, and the feeling was certainly mutual. Suzaku was rebellious, outspoken, and above all else, an arrogant prick that held his nationality with pride. Now, he was quiet, hardly ever spoke out, and withdrawn, nothing like how he used to be. Nunnally was still the same as ever, however Lelouch, for the first time, was thankful that Nunnally could no longer see. He would never dare to wish her subjected to this sort of hell.

'How could humans have done this?' Lelouch asked himself once, looking among the dead corpses of Japanese, all of them young, some mothers, others children, and men among the piles of rotting death. Like Suzaku before any of this, he held his title as prince with pride, but the death of his mother had changed his outlook. This world was at the bottom of an ocean painted red with blood, and the ocean was only getting bigger.

"Lelouch?"

The raven-haired child looked up to see Nunnally looking at him in concern, her hands now at her lap. "Are you okay?" she asked in worry. Though her eyes remained closed, she could always tell without looking when Lelouch was sad or troubled, or even angry or happy. However, she had never seen him like this before, and frankly, it was heartbreaking. "You're crying."

Lelouch touched his cheek, and felt something wet brush against his skin. He must have been crying without realizing it. "It's... it's nothing, Nunnally." Lelouch said, trying his best to assure her as he gently picked her up and placed her on his back, his arms wrapped around her legs and her arms at his shoulders. "Let's go... I don't want to stay here any longer."

"That makes two of us." Suzaku nodded solemnly, standing upright. "So... where do we go?"

"I heard there's a refugee camp not far from here. A day's walk, maybe."

"You think Tohdoh-sensei and the others are there too?" Suzaku couldn't help but ask hopefully. He still hadn't told Lelouch just what he had done, and the more that time went by without telling him, the more the guilt gnawed away at him.

Lelouch shook his head, but his eyes held some sliver of hope. "He's a soldier, but, if he is, then-"

Then, without warning, the two boys were nearly sent flying when a building at the left side exploded, a giant blast of smoke flying everywhere and obscuring the two's vision. Nunnally coughed hoarsely, he lungs taking up the foul-smelling air.

As the smoke started to clear, Lelouch lowered his arm away from his face, only for his eyes to widen in horror when he saw his executioner. Suzaku was in a similar state, his body trembling and his eyes having a blank look.

In front of them... was a Glasgow Knightmareframe, armed with a giant rifle.

The machine moved its body towards the right before it found the three and sharply turned around, its face splitting into four, revealing a black sphere with rings flowing from the center and outward. The face placed itself back together, and aimed its rifle at them.

"Run!"

The scream ripped itself from Lelouch's throat as he and Suzaku scrambled to get away, the bullets blasting away behind them and following them. Lelouch pushed his legs right to the point where it felt like fire was ripping away at his muscles with his skin ripped off. Suzaku was running right beside him, pushing himself just as hard as he looked over his shoulder to see the Knightmare chasing after them, speeding away and quickly closing the distance.

"Lelouch!" Suzaku shouted when he saw that the rifle was aimed at Nunnally's back, and Lelouch's in turn. He quickly tossed himself against his friend, his shoulder slamming into him and down to the ground. Right where Lelouch once stood was a dent-sized crater with the ground cracked all around it. "Y-you okay?" he hurriedly asked. Lelouch groaned as he got up, Nunnally gripping at her brother tighter as the Knightmare seemingly leered at them, slowly raising its rifle.

Lelouch looked around wildly, looking for an escape route of any kind. "Suzaku, over there!" he shouted, looking at the entrance to a nearby alley. Suzaku nodded and followed after him, doing the best they could to avoid being blown to bits by the Knightmare. As soon as they were near it, Lelouch ducked into the corner, only to stop dead.

He had just trapped them. It was a dead end with a giant wall not far from where he was, and there was no door to enter for the adjacent buildings, or any place to hide. Suzaku stopped alongside Lelouch, eyes widening at their mistake. They were about to run away from here when they heard something come to a screeching halt.

Lelouch slowly turned around, and saw the Knightmare standing right in front of them, the muzzle of its gun directly at Lelouch's face. Tears were beginning to form while all Suzaku could do was stay still, fear gripped his legs down tightly and just left him there to watch as his best friend was about to die right in front of him.

I don't wanna die...

Lelouch could see the Knightmare's face split open again, as if mocking him for his little mistake.

I don't wanna die.

The metal finger was practically twitching against the trigger.

I don't wanna die!

Everything was trapped in a slow caption. The Knightmare's finger was pressing against the trigger slowly; Lelouch unable to move or say anything while Nunnally was in tears, sobbing against his neck. 'Is this where... we're gonna die?' his mind shouted, screaming to every part of his body. 'In this god-forsaken place? ...No, we can't die here! Not when I need to protect Nunnally!'

'I don't wanna die...' those four words continued to repeat in Lelouch's head like a mantra, over and over and over again.

'**I DON'T WANNA DIE!'**

And then, everything came to a screeching halt. Lelouch had no idea what happened, all he could do was stare with large eyes at the gaping hole that had formed in the Knightmare's cockpit. All he saw a stream of light shooting down, and then the hull was breached.

The Knightmare seemingly moaned as it fell backwards, exploding into a giant crimson cloud of flames. Suzaku felt relief wash over him, his body failing him and forced down to his knees, tears running down his eyes while sobbing in joy of being alive.

Lelouch could hear something other than the sobbing of Suzaku and Nunnally and the flickering of the flames. He also recalled that the stream of light fell down from the sky. Did something shoot at it? Did someone save them? Were they in the sky somehow?

That last question forced Lelouch to look up, and there he saw it. It was by far the biggest machine he had ever seen, the Glasgow not even able to reach up to its waist. With the exception of its torso, the entire unit was colored white with black hands, a long rifle in its grasp. It possessed a crimson red chin and a golden v on its forehead, the torso colored blue with red trims. Lelouch couldn't see what was keeping it up, but he heard what sounded like a loud hymn, like the sound of plane engines running at full speed. The most prominent feature about it, however, was the eyes.

Lelouch felt like an ant being watched. The eyes were strangely human-like, unlike anything he had ever seen. It was almost as if it was watching him, debating whether or not it was a threat. However, to Lelouch, he could only stare at it in awe.

It was almost like laying eyes on a God.

_~~~Free Wings of Azure~~~_

Tokyo Settlement, Present Day

"Man, you are truly the God of chess, you know that, Lelouch?"

The Tokyo Settlement was probably one of the most technological advanced cities in all of Britannia, save for those in the mainland. Several trains curved sharply along the towering skyscrapers, streets full of people, many Britannian and few Honorary Britannians. In a bird's eye view, it was a giant city painted silver.

Making their way towards the street were two teens, both of which wearing matching black uniforms with golden trims. One had a goofy grin on his face with wild blue hair and somewhat tanned skin, wearing biker gloves and a helmet both in hands. The other was a handsome youth with raven black hair that reached down to the collar of his uniform while the bangs brushed up against his brow. His defining feature would be his rich purple eyes, a rare eye color for someone like that.

They were Rivalz Cardemonde and Lelouch Lamperouge, members of Ashford Academy's Student Council. The two were just on their way back after having done something that Lelouch usually didn't take part in, but even he was willing to admit that playing against arrogant nobles had a certain feel to it. Rivalz was the one who brought Lelouch into this, and he didn't regret a single moment of it.

Although...

"How exactly did you drag me into this?" Lelouch asked in exasperation, shaking his head as he and Rivalz went for the bike parked along the road. Lelouch normally didn't partake in gambling and betting unless Rivalz somehow managed to get him to go, usually via blackmail or bribery.

Today was blackmail: Rivalz threatened to tell Milly about something that happened in class the other day, which Lelouch was more than embarrassed about: he had accidentally caught a glimpse of Shirley's panties, and if Milly found out, well... let's just say that teasing would be the least of his worries.

"Ah, come on buddy!" Rivalz grinned from ear to ear, his hands behind his head with his helmet strapped on to his head and his goggles hanging around his neck, walking backwards in front of his friend. "You know you enjoyed kicking that guy's butt!"

Lelouch sighed, a hand on his forehead. "While I did enjoy the satisfaction of knocking him down a peg, I'd rather be in school studying. Speaking of which..." This time, it was Lelouch with the triumphant smirk. "How are your grades, Rivalz?"

The mere mention of the word "grades" could deflate Rivalz's attitude in a heartbeat, as his face dropped and looked away, causing Lelouch to laugh slightly at his friend's expense before they exited the building.

Once they were outside, they saw a few Britannians gathered near a monitor. "Huh?" Rivalz blinked, trying to get a better view. The monitor was showing a young man with blonde hair wearing extravagant clothes fit for a prince. Lelouch recognized him immediately, and grimaced. The man was Clovis la Britannia, one of the many heirs to the throne, and Viceroy of Area 11, as well as Lelouch's half-brother.

Though there were very few who knew him, Lelouch's real name was Lelouch vi Britannia, the eleventh prince of the Holy Empire, and son to the late Empress, Marianne vi Britannia, better known as Marianne the Flash, the previous Knight of Two. However, when his mother died, and his younger sister Nunnally lost both her legs and eyes, he and his sister were exiled from Britannia and sent to Japan before the invasion, meant to be used as mere bargaining chips for the ongoing civil war for Sakuradite, a powerful metal that was used as the core for many Knightmareframes.

"My fellow Britannians!" Lelouch resisted the urge to roll his eyes. If there was one thing that he didn't like about Clovis, it was the fact that he was a Prima Dona, he always had to do things in an "over-the-top" fashion. "Today, my heart was torn from my chest, and crushed before me! A group of Elevens invaded a military base, and killed many of our fellow brothers! Why can they not see that we are, for all purposes and pretexts, equal?"

'Equal? Please...' Lelouch mentally scoffed before his eyes glazed over with pain, staring at the ground with his hands balling into fists. 'If we are equal, then why did you choose to attack people when they didn't do anything to provoke us? Besides, if we really are equal like you say, then why call them Elevens?'

"Please, my fellow brothers and sisters!" Clovis said, his voice raised and his hand placed over his chest. Once again, he was one for theatrics, preferring to do things in style. Of course, this was to be expected of Clovis, as he was a skilled actor and painter. "Join me in silence for our fallen brothers, who died in hopes of protecting the peace!"

"Man, talk about dark." Rivalz sighed as he grabbed the spare helmet in the passenger car and tossed over his shoulder towards Lelouch. He snapped out of his stupor and grabbed it before it could hit him in the face. "Eh? Ain't you gonna join in, Lelouch?" he asked, turning to face his friend and saw that his eyes had this distant look in them, his mouth curved in grimace. "Lelouch?" he called out for his friend, frowning when he saw his face. "You okay?"

"...I just don't get it." Lelouch muttered, though it was loud enough for his friend to hear it. "What's the point in killing? All it does is breed more hatred, and before you know it, you'll have another war."

"Well, what can you do, Lelouch?" Rivalz shrugged as he hopped on his bike, his hands on the handles. "I say to try and ignore it. Oh yeah, before we left, Professor Asplund said that he has another project for you to work on."

That snapped Lelouch out of his depression, only to sigh as he strapped on the helmet and jumped into the passenger car. "Come on, I'm not even close to done with the last project he gave me! Seriously, why doesn't he ask Nina to help him out for once?" he whined, throwing his arms up in the air.

Rivalz laughed as he revved up the engine and took off with Lelouch in tow, heading back to Ashford. Their teacher, Professor Lloyd Asplund, was certainly an odd duck, as his habits were beyond strange, and even more insane was that he was an Earl, and much to Rivalz's dismay, he was to be betrothed to Milly Ashford, the girl of Rivalz's affection. He would ask Lelouch for help in a few projects, though for some reason, he was forbidden to show or talk about it with anyone else other than his friends. Lelouch was at the top of his class, even in P.E., despite the fact that he rarely ever showed up. It was because of his incredible brain that Professor Asplund asked him in the first place, though there were times when he pushed Lelouch a bit too far, and resulted in him asking for help in the form of Nina Einstein, the smartest person in school. She may have been timid, but she was well known for thinking outside the box in Professor Asplund's lectures.

"By the way, do you mind if I ask you something, Lelouch?" Rivalz asked while keeping his eyes on the road. Lelouch looked up from his book, raising an eyebrow. "Why did you start with the king?"

Lelouch shrugged his shoulders and went back to his book, flipping to the next page. "If a King doesn't lead his subordinates, how can he expect them to follow?" he stated as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "Although, there are times when even then they won't follow him, depending on his character."

"What's up with that? You planning on running a company one day?"

Lelouch chuckled at that one. Him? Running a company? He couldn't see it. "No way, that'll be bad for your health." Rivalz chuckled at his joke, only to pale and immediately scream, his grip on the handles tightening as he maneuvered past an oncoming truck. This startled Lelouch and his book went flying out of his hands. "W-what the?!"

"Dude, the hell?!" Rivalz stopped the bike and looked over his shoulder while Lelouch turned to see the truck running down a ramp and into an abandoned building under construction. The fact that the truck was on a different side than what it was supposed to be on was frightening enough as it is, but for it to smash into a building straight on? Was the driver drunk or something? "Uh... did we cause that?"

"I have no idea." Lelouch said as he got out of the passenger car. When the smoke started to thin, he could see that the truck was unusually big, maybe a carrier for supplies. 'But, why would you need that much material?' he asked himself, narrowing at the carrier. 'Also, why was it on this side of the road? Were they drunk or...'

His line of thought stopped when he saw something strange. He rubbed his eyes and looked again, but it was still there. It was like a sparkling green mist floated above the carrier, right from the roof. "What in the...? Hey, Rivalz, do you see this?"

"Yeah, and I'm starting to feel sorry for the poor guy." Lelouch stared at Rivalz in disbelief. Could he not see it? "Ya think we should help out?"

His answer was Lelouch tossing him his helmet and running down towards the construction sight. "H-hey, Lelouch?!" Rivalz called out to him, but he ignored his friend for now. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw people standing by the sidewalks and balconies, just staring at the sight with a few holding their phones aimed at it, probably taking pictures or recording a video of the incident. 'If they have time to gawk, they have time to help people!' Lelouch seethed. 'Why is it so hard for people to find a reason to help someone?!'

When Lelouch reached the truck, he saw that it the driver portion of the vehicle was stuck under several metal beams. "Hey, are you guys okay?!" he shouted, trying the best he could to get to the driver portion. "Hello?!"

No answer.

"Dammit." Lelouch swore under his breath before he took hold of the holder next to him. "Hope they don't mind me..." he muttered before climbing on top of the carrier. He saw a small portion along the top, big enough for him to get into, though strangely there was no latter to use to enter it, meaning he would have to jump inside. Though he couldn't see very much inside of it, he could see a strange object sitting on the floor, easily taking up most of the front. "What in the...?"

**It's you...**

Lelouch blinked, his head snapping to behind him. "W-who's there?" he called out, looking around. He couldn't see anyone around him except for the gawkers and Rivalz, who was shouting at him to get back to the bike.

**I've finally found you, my...**

'Who is that?' Lelouch asked himself in his head, unable to understand what it was talking about. 'What do they mean they finally found me? It's a girl, but...' He got no farther than that when suddenly the truck began to shake and jerk with the sound of the engine revving back to life. The shuddering of the vehicle moving out was enough to force Lelouch forward, stumbling on his feet and into the carrier.

_~~~Free Wings of Azure~~~_

Meanwhile, at Ashford Academy...

Inside the Student Council room, an orange-haired girl with deep brown eyes was puffing out her cheeks. "Stupid Rivalz, taking Lelouch out like that..." Shirley Fenette muttered angrily before she went back to her assignment. "Why does he always try to get Lelouch to go out gambling with him? I swear!"

She heard a chuckle from behind and looked over her shoulder to see a beautiful blonde girl with steely blue eyes, wearing the female variation of the uniform. Unlike the boys', which was black with gold trims, the girls had to wear a white buttoned shirt underneath a pale yellow jacket and black skirt, complete with the annoying black tie. "Venting your frustrations, Shirley?" Milly Ashford asked with a teasing grin. "So, I'll wager a guess and say Rivalz convinced Lulu to go out gambling with him again?"

"Yeah..." Shirley sighed, reclining in her chair before pouting again. "Lulu's always said he prefers staying at school and studying like everyone else, so why does he do this?"

"You forget, when it comes to Rivalz, he's always got something planned." Milly giggled before propping herself on the table. "Oh yeah, he called me not too long ago. Look's like he'll be late."

"And where did he go this time...?" Shirley asked, sighing heavily and slumping down on the table with her forehead on her arms.

"Actually, it sounds like Lulu got kidnapped by a drunk driver." Milly shrugged and said it casually. Shirley, however, immediately shot up from her seat, causing it to fall backward with her arms planted on the table, her eyes wide in horror. "There was an incident, and Lelouch, being Lelouch, tried to help, and right when the truck started to move, fell inside the carrier."

"Oh no... Is he going to be alright?" Shirley asked, paling at the thought. It was no secret that Shirley had a crush on the popular Lelouch Lamperouge, in fact almost every person in school knew about it, and Milly was always teasing her about it, and whenever she got the chance did something in front of Lelouch just to embarrass her.

Milly smiled, gently touching her shoulder with a reassuring nod. "I'm sure he'll be fine. After all, this is Lelouch Lamperouge we're talking about here, Shirley."

_~~~Free Wings of Azure~~~_

"A-achoo!" Lelouch sneezed violently, nearly falling forward for a moment because of all the swaying of the carrier. "Great... now I'm catching a cold."

He wasn't sure how long he had been passed out, but he could tell that he was in the last place he wanted to be. He saw the strange object right in front of him, which was shaped like a giant capsule with black rods sticking out, and valves around a few parts. Of course, that wasn't the only thing that was there. Right where Lelouch had fallen was a giant tarp covering something massive, most likely the reason as to why the carrier was so enormous.

"Judging from the sounds outside..." Lelouch placed his ear against the wall, hearing a few voices outside, along with the familiar sound of gunshots. "It sounds like I'm on board a terrorist hijacked truck... Perfect!"

Lelouch was definitely not happy with this predicament. Out of all the days Rivalz had convinced him to go gambling with him, it just HAD to be the day when he got mixed up in something that would, undoubtedly, give Nunnally a heart attack if she ever found out. Still, with the way things were as of now, he doubted that he could get out of here in one piece. However, since he was Britannian, there was a small chance that the military would protect him.

However, the problem was that he was inside of a cargo truck hijacked by terrorists. If they learned about that small tidbit, he was sure to be gunned down under suspicion of aiding them. As much as he wondered what it would be like to have a bullet in your body, that wasn't something he was willing to find out just yet.

As the truck began to shake and sway, Lelouch heard voices coming from the front. One was male, maybe in his early twenties, while the other was a woman, young from how she sounded. "Why don't we use it here?!" the man shouted in desperation. Then again, they were in the middle of being shot at by either Knightmares or attack helicopters.

The girl had a fierce tone when she shot back at her companion. "Do you have any idea what would happen?! We'd be killing millions of innocent people!" Lelouch's eyes widened and immediately turned to the capsule and the mystery object covered by the tarp. 'Christ, these people really are terrorists...' he thought, horrified by what he had just heard. 'Just what the hell did you people steal?' Curious, Lelouch walked over to the tarp and lifted it up. The moment he saw what was under it, his eyes widened. "T-this is...!"

Staring him right in the face... was the machine from seven years ago. The very same Knightmare that had saved him, Nunnally, and Suzaku from the embrace of Death at the hands of a Glasgow that had tried to kill them. He recalled the feeling of awe as he trembled at the mere sight of it, thinking it a God to be revered. He didn't know what happened to it after that, he just saw it disappear, flying off somewhere and to never be seen again. He thought it was a test unit or something, considering he had never seen a Knightmareframe of that design or spec before.

When Lelouch looked at the machine closely, he realized that while it did possess the same features, it was not the one he saw from seven years ago. It bore an additional "v" on its forehead with a black torso, carrying blue and red trims and black shoulders, strange blue fins lined along its back. Right beside it was a long, white rifle. "It's design is different, but..." Lelouch murmured, staring at the mecha in wonder. "It's definitely like that one from Nagoya. Still, who built it? The Britannians? No, that Glasgow belonged to Britannia, yet that white Knightmare destroyed it. Was it possible that it belonged to that resistance group? The Japan Liberation Front?

Before he could ask himself any more questions, he heard the sound of machines whirring and the door sliding open. 'Shit!' Lelouch quickly ducked inside the tarp and lowered himself into a crouch, hearing the woman's voice again with slight agitation. "Idiot! That's why I'm here, remember?!"

The footsteps grew closer with a quick pace, making Lelouch's heart thump harshly against his chest. If she caught him here, what could he say? Would she believe him? Of course not, she was a terrorist that had hit a Britannian military facility for God's sake!

It was when the woman passed by him, thankfully without noticing the newly formed bulge in the tarp, that Lelouch caught sight of the female terrorist. Instantly, his mind began to whirl and click, recognizing her from somewhere. She was beautiful, and without a doubt she would be even more attractive if she didn't have that scowl on her face. Her eyes were fierce and cold, completely in contrast with her fiery red hair, which was wild and all over the place. She tossed the white coat that hugged her body away from her, landing in front of Lelouch with a walkie-talkie hanging out from the pocket.

Lelouch sucked in his breath and held it for as long as he could, watching the girl leave the cargo hold before entering whatever was in back. Finally, he breathed a heavy sigh and removed himself from the tarp. He took one last glance at the mech before taking the walkie-talkie from the coat. 'I can contact the outside world, but the problem would be the military. Would they even want to protect me?' The images from seven years ago flashed by in his head, forcing him to grimace. 'That Glasgow was definitely piloted by a Britannian... Why do they prefer blood over peace?'

Before he could use the object in his hand, he felt the truck shudder again, the cargo visibly shaking. Lelouch groaned as he felt his back flare up in pain from smacking against the walls. "These people need to learn how to drive!" he scowled, trying to get up when he heard something strange:

There wasn't any gunfire or shouting anymore. It was but clear silence. 'Are we... in the subway?' Lelouch thought deeply, bringing up a mental image of the city map in his head. If there was one thing people had to know about Lelouch, it was the fact that he possessed a photographic memory and could remember even the slightest detail, no matter how insignificant. 'We were right around Shibuya when we ran into the terrorists on the truck, and if I recall correctly, there's an abandoned subway tunnel that leads right into the Shinjuku ghetto... That explains why we haven't been shot at. Still, what's in that capsule thing anyway? Whatever's in there, I'd rather not stick around to find out.'

And that was when the truck shuddered again for the last time, except this one practically jerked everything forward, causing Lelouch to fall face-first and was sent tumbling forward. His back collided with the wall near the driver's area, causing him to scream. "Gah... What the hell happened?"

He couldn't feel the truck moving, and the cargo wasn't shifting either, so that meant they had come to a stop. 'We... must have run into a hole or something...' Lelouch realized, recalling that the subway wasn't exactly in the best of conditions, especially since it was abandoned and right near the Shinjuku ghetto. 'Maybe... I can find a way out of here...'

No sooner did the thought enter his head did the door on the right side slide open, revealing a ruined subway platform with several chunks missing from the ceiling, scrapped pieces of concrete laying about everywhere on the ground. "I knew the ghetto was in bad shape, but..." Lelouch started out as he stepped out of the carrier. "I wonder which part of town I'm in... If I ask for help, then..."

"Don't move!"

"H-huh?!"

Lelouch's head snapped to the right and saw the last thing he wanted to see right about now: a gun in someone's hands aimed directly at him. "W-wait, don't shoot!" Lelouch immediately threw his hands up in the air, expecting that to be the man's orders. He couldn't see them very well since they were standing shadow, but he could recognize a foot soldier's uniform just about anywhere.

The soldier slowly stepped out, his gun held in both heads, nice and steady. He stopped for a short second, looking at his clothes. "...Are you a student?" he asked, to which Lelouch nodded wordlessly. "What were you doing in that truck?"

"I-I got mixed up in all of this..." Lelouch tried to explain it to him, though something in the back of his mind was nagging at him. That voice... it sounded so familiar for some reason. "I was trying to help whoever was in the truck when..."

The soldier didn't lower his gun, but Lelouch saw his features relax somewhat as his right hand moved to his flak jacket's collar. "Command, I've secured the capsule. Sending coordinates now."

"**Well done."** Lelouch faintly heard over the com link. **"Is there anyone there?"**

"A Britannian student. Says he got mixed up in all the chaos." the soldier replied. Lelouch was starting to sweat. When you say something like that to a soldier, the worst case scenario is that they think you helped them out and you're lying, and the next thing you know, you have a bullet lodged in your head. Was he going to be shot him now?

"**Just keep him there for now. Don't let him near that poison gas! Las thing we need is..."**

That was when all fear and anxiety left Lelouch, his ears catching the words "poison gas" clearly. The rest of his words were drowned out, and his head was lowered, the fringe of his hair hiding his purple orbs while his frame visibly shook. They were chasing people for poison gas? They just went and created something that could kill millions of people? "Right, understood." the soldier nodded before placing his hand on his gun. "Don't even think about-"

"Why?"

The soldier's body tensed up again, his finger wrapped around the trigger, as if ready to shoot at a moment's notice. That was when the raven-haired Britannian lifted his head up for the soldier to see his eyes, narrowed into a fierce glare. "Why would you create something like that!"

"What?"

"Does killing people solve anything?!" Lelouch shouted at the soldier, who was now confused. He didn't care, he was angry. Why couldn't they understand it? "You people always start a war for no reason, and millions of people die because of it! Don't you understand that war breeds hatred and more war?!"

Lelouch was still shaking in anger, glaring at the soldier with intensity. He couldn't care if he was going to shoot him at this point, these people made him sick. He had seen what war was capable of, and he saw that you couldn't gain anything from it. There wasn't any glory to be had, nor was there any fame for it either. All he saw was death, corpses piled as far as the eye could see, blood splattered everywhere like it was raining crimson. He couldn't understand why Britannia was unable to see that.

For some reason, the soldier finally lowered his gun, and seemingly stared at him in wonder. "It can't be..." Lelouch somewhat calmed down, but found himself confused when he heard the soldier ask that. Why did he mean by "it can't be"? And why does he sound so familiar? He knew he heard this voice somewhere before, but where...? "Is that you... Lelouch?"

And that was when his mind clicked into place, and Lelouch's arms fell to his sides while his eyes widened in realization. He knew he heard that voice before, and why shouldn't he have? He had heard it so many times before seven years ago when Japan was under siege from Britannia. As it just so happened, that voice belonged to someone Lelouch had owed his very life to, no matter how trivial it was.

"...Suzaku?"

As if having confirmed it, the soldier removed his helmet, revealing the face of a teen Lelouch's age, his hair chestnut brown and messy while he carried soft amethyst green eyes. This young man was, without a doubt in Lelouch's mind, Suzaku Kururugi, son of the late Japanese Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi. "Lelouch, it's really you..." Suzaku breathed, staring at his friend in wonder. "But... what are you doing with a bunch of terrorists?"

Lelouch snapped back to reality and shook his head. "No!" he told him, holding his hands up in defense. "That is the last thing I want to do in my life!"

Suzaku didn't say anything for a while, but he gained a small smile when he saw how Lelouch was acting. "...Right, ever since that time, you've always hated violence." he recalled wistfully. "Still... it's good to see you again."

Lelouch smiled back, lowering his hands back down to his sides. "Yeah... it's been a while." The smile vanished just as quickly as it had appeared. "But... what are you doing with the military?"

Suzaku scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "That's... kind of a long story. But, listen, we need to get you-"

He was stopped mid-sentence when a loud 'hissing' could be heard inside the truck. Lelouch looked inside to see the capsule with the poison gas slowly starting to crack open, slivers of light appearing in the faint slits on the surface. The moment Suzaku heard the sound, his face went pale and rushed at Lelouch, slamming the gas-mask portion of his helmet into his face. The force of the slam was enough to send Lelouch tumbling to the ground while Suzaku covered his own mouth. Time was practically slowing down to a halt as the two looked at the chamber, expecting it to bust open with a colored cloud exploding everywhere.

However, this was not what happened. The rods sticking out of the capsule twisted and slammed into the capsule like a pile driver used at a construction site, the capsule split in four, falling to the ground as if mimicking a blossoming flower. The golden light had yet to fade, even as water spilled out of its contents. However, both boys were focused on the girl that sat there, unmoving, bathing in the golden light. Her hair was vibrant green and fell to her back, her eyes colored butter yellow. Her entire body was covered in a white bodysuit that resembled a strait jacket, straps and zippers and buttons intersecting at several points, binding her legs and arms.

"That's... not poison gas..." Suzaku finally said as he removed the mask from Lelouch, who was still staring at her with wonder. The girl looked at them, her head tilted as if confused before she fell to her back, her eyes rolling to the back of her head and the lids closing.

Lelouch had no idea who she was, yet he still couldn't, for the life of him, remember where he had seen her. He had seen her before, but where? Was it seven years ago? And why was she inside a capsule that was supposed to have poison gas? Who in the hell was she?

His thoughts were so scrambled and focused on the girl; he didn't even hear the sound of a machine humming. Underneath the tarp, the white Knightmare's eyes flashed bright green.

**And so... the Seed fell from the tree, and took root within the ground. The Wheel of Fate has begun to turn, and there is no stopping it now... The Black Rebellion has begun.**


	2. Turn 02: Strike towards Freedom

**Code Geass: The Seed of Freedom**

_Stage 02: Strike towards Freedom_

* * *

><p>"Anything you must do... do with elegance." –Treize Kushrinada, Gundam Wing<p>

* * *

><p>Lelouch could feel his legs burning as he ran, not even looking over his shoulder to see if the soldiers were following him. His mind was in an uproar, the sound of a gunshot still ringing in his eyes, and the image of his friend Suzaku falling to the ground replaying over and over right before him. He just didn't understand it, why did this have to happen?!<p>

After taking a look over his shoulder, he saw that none of the soldiers had pursued him after the truck's driver area had exploded. He doubted he could get farther away now anyway, his body felt so heavy, mostly because of who was on his back. It was the girl with the green hair, her arms hanging limply over his shoulders while her chest was set against his back, falling and rising at a steady pace, Lelouch's arms hooked around her legs.

This girl... she was the reason why Suzaku was dead, wasn't she? So why did he help her get out of there? Why was she even inside of that thing to begin with? Why were Britannian soldiers after her? And what in the hell was that mark on her forehead? It looked like some kind of bird-like sigil, shaped like how one would perceive a bird in the distance.

"Suzaku..." Lelouch muttered under his breath as he moved carefully through the tunnel, stopping every now and then and listening for sounds. Unlike most people, he hearing was far better than normal, but there were times when he had to truly open up his senses and look at the world from a whole other perspective. Lelouch had no idea why he was like this, even when he was young, he could see, hear, and feel things differently from normal people, and at a young age, he was already strong. In fact, he had managed to defeat his mother's bodyguard, Jeremiah he believed his name was, in a mock match. Nunnally was impressed by his skills, and even his father had said how amazed by his abilities, claiming him to be the perfection of Britannian nobility.

Sometimes he still wondered what went on in his father's head when he banished them. He had accused his own father of allowing his mother to die, and upon hearing him say it was the price of being one of those with power, he had outright told to all those standing around them that he relinquished all rights to the throne. The result was natural, he supposed, for acting like that. However, to banish them both, and send them away as mere political hostages? That was simply going too far.

Back to reality, Lelouch heard the occasional explosions and screams of the people living in the ghettos, something he felt horrible for, but beyond that, he heard nothing. Thinking it was safe to go on, he moved forward toward the exit near the next station. It was a few minutes away from him, and it would connect up towards the surface. The downside is that it would lead him into enemy territory, smack dab in the center of the ghetto. If he could manage to convince the military to help him-

"No, I can't do that!" Lelouch shook his head, recalling what had happened with Suzaku. "If I do, then they'll..." He gritted his teeth harshly, his grip along the girl's clothing tightening. "Dammit, why are they so twisted?!"

With that, Lelouch regained his running speed, heading straight for the exit. He hadn't even realized that the girl was awake, her eyes focused on him with a strange smile on her face beneath the mask over the lower half of her face.

_'So, you're the one... Marianne's labor paid off, has it?'_

~~~Strike towards Freedom~~~

**[System Upload Complete]**

**[All Primary Functions Green]**

**[Secondary Systems Green]**

**[Main Interface Now Processing]**

**[Activating YAMATO directive]**

~~~Strike towards Freedom~~~

Once Lelouch reached a nearby exit, he gently lay the girl down and climbed up the staircase. "Wait here," he whispered, receiving a nod in response. He poked his head out a little, only to duck back down and his jaw clenched tightly like a vice, gunshots ringing in his ears. After the shots came to an end, a thud was followed.

They had just shot down an innocent man...

"All we found here are Elevens, sir" a familiar voice said to their superior. He recognized it as one of the Royal Guard from earlier, one of the people that shot Suzaku. Lelouch's fists clenched tightly, wondering how they could so easily take a life like that. How is that they could kill, despite knowing what it would bring to the world?

The captain scowled, glaring at the sight. "Are you sure that this is where the tunnel leads?" he practically demanded the answer. He received a nod in response. "Yes, this is the only exit." Lelouch breathed a silent sigh of relief when he heard footsteps beginning to draw away from them, however his eyes became large when he heard loud, sobbing cries. It was the sound of a baby. No, they wouldn't... There was no way they could-

The cries were silences with bullets.

_'H-how could you people...?'_ Lelouch thought in sheer horror, gripping his mouth tightly. How far was Britannia willing to go in order to satisfy its wants and desires? How many people would they take from their loved ones? 'How much longer must this hellish existence continue?!' the former prince thought, banging his fist against the wall beside him. _'Damn them... Why can't they see that all of this is meaningless?!'_

Just as the footsteps of the soldiers began to fade, a loud beeping sound echoed within the warehouse. Lelouch's eyes widened he looked down at his pocket to see his cell ringing.

Of all the times-!

"Well, it seems we found ourselves a little cockroach..."

~~~Strike towards Freedom~~~

Shirley frowned when she heard the phone beep for a while, trying to connect to Lelouch's phone until it had suddenly gone dead. She removed it from her ear and looked at the screen, and then huffed her cheeks in annoyance. "That jerk! He hung up on me!"

~~~Strike towards Freedom~~~

Lelouch gasped in pain as he was tossed against the rotting metal wall behind him, bruises aching over his body. "You've certainly given us a hard time, little brat." The captain of the guard said, impressed by Lelouch's attempts to escape. "Then again, it's to be expected. You're a Britannian."

Lelouch scowled, glaring at the group in seething hatred. "How far will you monsters go just to satisfy that greed of yours?!" he screamed out. "They're innocent people! They all have a family waiting for them! And yet, you bastards...!"

"Oh?" the captain mocked. "Don't tell me you're one of those humanitarians that believes Numbers are equal to us Britannians? How idealistically naive. The strong shall devour the weak! That is the fundamental law of Britannia! We fight, we compete, and we kill any that try to oppose us! In the words of our glorious Emperor, evolution is continuous!"

"And you pick fights for no reason!" Lelouch shot back angrily. "Japan did nothing to earn this! What did they do to deserve this sort of punishment?! What did they do to have their rights taken from them?!" His hands balled into fists, and his body shook uncontrollably. "If this... if this is how my country truly is..." He lifted his head up, his purple eyes glaring hard back at them. "Then I would rather die than live in this god-forsaken world."

The captain grinned, taking aim at the boy's forehead. "In that case, consider your future forfeit." Lelouch did not move, glaring back to the very end. He never expected the woman to move in front of him, her arms stretched out. "HE MUSN'T DIE!" she shouted as the man squeezed the trigger.

The gun went off, and the bullet struck her forehead, allowing the bangs to part and reveal a strange mark upon her skin. Her body lurched back before falling to the ground, golden eyes closed for eternity. Lelouch's faced paled, unable to stand what he had just seen. "Y-you shot her!"

The captain, having been given orders to retrieve her, scoffed with a shake of his head. "Our orders were to retrieve her, alive if at all possible. How about this? We found the terrorist's hideout and killed every last one of them. By the time we arrived, the female hostage had already been tortured to death. What do you think, school boy?"

Lelouch didn't answer, his body crouched over the woman's. His eyes were blurry and wet, staring at her beautiful, and lifeless form._ 'I-is this... how it all ends?'_ he thought, memories from seven years ago once again surfacing._ 'I haven't had a chance to do a single thing with my life.. and yet... I'm going to die here? Oh, Nunnally...!'_

Just then, the woman grabbed his hand. In that single instant, everything had shattered, and the world was tumbling upside down. Colors faded from his form, leaving black and white with only blue and streams of light.

**You don't want it to end here, do you?**

Lelouch's eyes widened as blue streams wrapped around his wrists and ankles, pulling him away from reality. "W-what?"

**You appear to have a reason... a reason to live.**

"The girl?" He felt his body splitting away and vanishing, reappearing in a white void and then disappearing, as if he were but a phantom. "But... that's impossible!"

**If you had power, could you live?**

His purple irises flashed for a second, shifting to a bright azure color. "Power?"

**I propose a deal: in exchange for the Power of the King, you must grant my one wish. Should you accept this power, you will live unlike any other.**

Images flashed by in his head: children in white robes with the same mark as the girl on their forehead, a sketch of a symbol burned into a stone wall, and Jupiter floating in the black sky known as space.

**While you exist in a world of humans, you'll live in a different providence, a different time... a different life.**

Lelouch felt his body falling through a blue tunnel, streams of light circling around him while it shifted colors rapidly, bright golden lights as small as golf balls expanding in front of him.

**Be warned, for if you accept this Geass, you shall forever be sentenced to a life of eternal solitude. **

Once his body fell through the light, the scene changed. He stood atop a platform, a sky befitting the time of dusk around him while several men in robes stood beside a giant in the middle, his cap reaching down to the floor. "A convergence with the Ragnarok Connection?" the giant bellowed in a voice Lelouch could never forget. "So the legend is beginning once again?"

**What shall your decision be, Lelouch Vi Britannia?**

The world shattered before him, and all that filled Lelouch was determination. As the world is, no one would change it. It would remain stagnant and decaying, slowly becoming a corpse. Who would change it? Who would have the power to fight the system? That was just it, there was no one! Who was willing to gain the power necessary to erase the hellish existence sentenced upon this world? Lelouch... if he accepted this power... he could do it. He could change the world! He could finally make the world Nunnally wanted a reality! "Very well!" he yelled as the cogs around him began to turn. "I accept the terms of your contract!"

And with that, the mark of Geass burned within his left eye, purple eyes writhing with strength. However, that rich purple shade soon changed to a brilliant azure color, and both eyes carried the sigil that resembled a bird captured in mid-flight, it's wings curled around the pupil.

~~~Strike towards Freedom~~~

The soldier expected the bullet he fired to kill the student. He expected the kid to fall to the ground, a bullet in his head and blood leaking from the wound. He expected the kid to be as dead as a doornail.

The soldier didn't expect him to move so quickly it was almost like a black blur. The bullet didn't even touch his skin, and slammed into the ground. The boy slowly stood, a hand covering his face. The soldier glared at the boy in rage. "Hmph, still have some fight left in you, kid?" he hissed. "Well, it doesn't matter, because in a few moments, you will be-"

He stopped dead when the boy removed his hand from his face, revealing both of his eyes with the mark he was told was on the girl. Red birds in mid-flight with curled wings were placed on azure blue eyes. "W-what the?!" The boy didn't say anything, in fact his face held no emotion whatsoever as he dashed forward with almost inhuman speed. He was right in front of the captain when he delivered a hard strike to his face, knocking him back and the gun falling from his hand.

The strength behind the strike was insane, for the captain was knocked out. The other guards were bewildered, having never such speed before until they regained their senses and aimed their rifles at him. However, before any shots could be fired, the boy charged forward and rammed his knee into one of the four's stomach's. The soldier grunted, the rifle falling from his hands before he found his head gripped tightly. A knee collided with his face, shattering his nose. He staggered back, holding his now bleeding schnozzle before he found a leg slamming into his head, knocking him out and sending him to the floor.

"Y-you bastard!" the soldiers screamed, shooting their rifles. The boy effortlessly evaded the bullets without a sway, grabbing one of the soldier's faces and ramming him into a large slab of debris. The force behind the thrust of his hand knocked him out, but the pain was enough to cause his skull to throb.

The remaining two guards were about to fire again, but the boy jumped, bouncing off the floor and landed behind them. He grabbed one of the guard's by the collar, pulling him back and granting him a hard left hook. The sounds of bones breaking echoed loudly before the student ducked beneath a swipe of the rifle from the second guard, his head colliding with the man's chin. The head butt was enough to send him to the floor in a daze, allowing him to grab the other soldier by the hair and slam his fist. The man was knocked out instantly.

The soldier groaned, holding his head and wondering what just happened before he saw a foot slam into his face, and forcing him back down. His groans were silenced once unconsciousness took him.

~~~Strike towards Freedom~~~

**[System Updates Completed]**

**[YAMATO Directive Fully Uploaded]**

**[Coordinator Signature Acquired]**

**[DRAGOON System Now Active]**

**[Activating Main System Operations]**

~~~Strike towards Freedom~~~

When Lelouch finally returned to reality, the royal guard, all of them knocked out, surrounded him. "W-what the...?" he started, unsure of what happened before he felt his left eye burning slightly, yet he felt no flames. "That's right... that power... Geass, wasn't it?" Since that little dreamland trip he took, he saw images of people obeying him without question, and two words echoing in his head. "Absolute Obedience, huh... Robbing people of their free will, something fitting a prince of Britannia..."

A dark, yet gloomy smile creeped on his face. "How disgusting."

Just after he spoke those words, the ground beneath him shook, nearly sending him to the floor. "W-whoa!" he cried, trying to keep his balance before something cracked behind him and crumbled away, leaving behind dark gray smoke. Whirling around, he saw something residing within the smoke, it's eyes burning green. As it began to clear, he could see steel white limbs, and large blue fins that stuck to its back like wings. "W-what in the hell?"

In front of him... was the white Knightmareframe from within the truck. Had there been someone inside of it? If so, then why wait until now? As if responding to his thoughts, the chest unit began to open up, revealing the interior of a cockpit. "There's... no one inside?"

Just as he said, there wasn't anyone inside of the machine. The seat was empty, and yet the controls looked poised, as if waiting for someone to enter it. Lelouch's eyes widened in realization. "Are you... telling me to get inside?" The machine's eyes flashed, as if giving him an answer. A stirrup slowly descended down from the chest, and placed itself where one could place their foot at this level. Lelouch was hesitant at first, but swallowed the lump in his throat and placed his foot on the stirrup. The wire elevated him up to where the cockpit awaited. It was large enough for at least one person. Lelouch gingerly stepped inside, and placed himself at the seat. The hatch closed, and the screens in front of him lit up, several phrases and words lighting themselves up.

However, it was six words that caught his attention, specifically how their first initials lined up to form a single word. "G-U-N-D-A-M... Gundam? Is that the name of this Knightmare?" Lelouch wondered aloud before the machine began to whir to life. "I wish I knew how to operate this thing, but, if I can put an end to all of this fighting..." His eyes flashed bright azure for a moment before a serious expression appeared on his face. In front of him were two words written in blue, and though it was the first time seeing them, he couldn't help but engrave them in his mind.

And with that, he couldn't help but say, "_Strike Freedom_, heading out!"

~~~Strike towards Freedom~~~

"Having a bad day, are we?"

Suzaku's eyes snapped open instantly, meeting the gaze of a man that looked like the whole world was a playground. "Looks like you missed your chance to go to heaven, Private Kururugi," the man said in a jovial tone, wearing a white lab coat and glasses, his light blue hair messy yet combed all at the same time. Beside him was a woman dressed in a formal military getup, a green armband on her bicep. She was holding something in a piece of cloth.

"W-where are we...?" Suzaku managed to breathe out, lifting himself up. He had apparently been stripped down to only his pants. Bandages were wrapped around his upper torso, especially in the ribs. The man leaned back, slipping his hands into the coat pockets. "Ah, we're still in the Shinjuku Ghetto, I'm afraid."

The woman smiled slightly as she handed what she was holding over to him. "This was what saved your life. You were lucky it was underneath your protective suit." Suzaku's eyes widened as he gingerly took the shattered pocket watch that once belonged to the late Genbu Kururugi from her grasp. How ironic that something that once belonged to the man he killed was what saved his pathetic life... "You Elevens believe that gods exist in every-day objects, don't you?" the man said with a slight smile. "I suppose this one-"

"Wait, where's Lelouch-" Suzaku cut the man off, but trailed off before realizing what it would mean if he fully stated his friend's name. Britannia had casted them out from their arms, and sentenced them to death when they began the war. If Britannia learned that he was still alive, there was little doubt that they would use them as tools. Also, Lelouch himself stated that he didn't want to return to a country where his sister would be sought as nothing but political use. The memory of when they parted was still fresh in his mind.

_"I swear... I swear, Suzaku, so help me... One day, I will..."_

Suzaku winced at that memory. He could tell that Lelouch had mellowed out since then, but he still despised Britannia for what it had done. It was because of that reason that he chose to join the military and become an Honorary Britannian, despite the vehement protests of his family. He had to change the system for the better, so that Lelouch and Nunnally wouldn't have to live in a hellish country when the time came when they would return. "...How's the situation?" he chose to ask instead of asking about Lelouch.

"A bit grim, I'm afraid." the jovial man said with a shrug of his shoulders. "The poison gas was released. Reports of massive Eleven casualties are flooding in." Suzaku's eyes fell to the ground. Poison gas, his ass. There wasn't poison gas at all, this was just a cover-up for a mistake they had made. Still, why was a girl inside of a gas capsule?

"Right now, the G-1 base is probably among the safest places you could be right about now," the woman said sadly before the man developed a large grin on his face. "By any chance, Private Kururugi... are you familiar with piloting a Knightmare?"

Suzaku's eyes widened instantly as the scientist held up what looked like the ignition drive of a Knightmare Frame, albeit different in design. The pilots of Knightmares were known by two names: Devicers and Knights, the reason being because it was a privilege for those with high ranking status to pilot such machines of mass destruction. However, there was one rule among that honor: No Number, under any circumstances, shall be given the title of Knight. "B-but there's no way someone like me would be made a knight!" he tried to protest, but the man's grin only broadened.

"Well, supposing you could..." the scientist drawled out. Suzaku stared at the man before letting out a sigh. To be perfectly honest... he always wondered what piloting a Knightmare was like. "I received a perfect score in the simulator, but I'm sure the real thing is-"

"CONGRATULATIONS!" Suzaku jumped when the man's voice increased several octaves. "You're the lucky bastard that gets to pilot the only Knightmare of it's kind! Once you get inside that bad boy, everything will change! Both you, and you're world!"

"Whether you want it to or not." the woman said before smiling brightly. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Cecile Croomy, and this is my boss, Lloyd Asplund. It's a pleasure to be working with you, Suzaku."

Suzaku wasn't sure why, but for some odd reason, he felt as if he had just signed a deal with the devil.

~~~Strike towards Freedom~~~

"THOSE GOD DAMN BRITANNIANS!"

Kallen screamed through clenched teeth, tears falling from her face as a pair of slash harkens emerged from her Glasgow, crashing through the underground pipes and piercing through the tank's hull. Once they retracted, Kallen looked to her right to see an oncoming copter with missiles aimed, only for them to be blown to bits by her Glasgow as well. "Kallen, are you alright?!" the voice of Kaname Ohgi asked her over the comm-link.

"I'm fine, Ohgi!" Kallen shouted back, grief and anger evident. She knew how corrupted and evil Britannia was, but a massacre of an entire city simply because they stole something? "Don't worry about me! What about you?! Where are you at?!"

"They have us pin down here!" Ohgi told her, explosions in the background. "We can't reach Yoshida from here! It doesn't help matters with the fact that they've got a Knightmare here!"

Kallen's eyes widened in fear, and instantly operated the Glasgow into overdrive. "Wait there!" She couldn't afford to lose anyone else. She had already lost her brother, and she'd be damned if she lost one of the only family she had left in this world. "I'll come get you-!"

She was cut-off by the sound of gunfire slamming into her Knightmare, along with the sound of a rather obnoxious, familiar voice. **"Well, if it isn't our Glasgow friend!"** the Britannian said in glee before Kallen booked it out of there, ducking into a nearby alleyway and dashing past a narrow building. Kallen growled deeply as she whirled around in time to evade a slash harken and fired off one of her own, however it was deflected by a second Sutherland's Stun Tonfa.

"Dammit, at this rate...!" Kallen hissed through clenched teeth before noticing the status of her energy filler. Her eyes widened, and despair began to sink in. "Only thirty minutes left?!" She hung her head low, and the grip on the controls tightened. Dammit, at this rate...!

_"The west entrance!"_

Kallen's eyes snapped towards the communicator on her dashboard. The voice was not one she recognized. It was male, and considerably young.

_"Use the tracks, and head towards the west entrance! If you can get there, I can take them out!"_ the voice told her. Despite the slight panic located in his tone, she could tell that he was serious. However, that still did not mean she could trust him. "Who is this?!" she demanded. "How did you get this code?!"

_"That doesn't matter right now!"_ the voice shot back. _"If you want everyone to live, please! Trust me!"_

Live...

Kallen didn't know why, but she felt as if she could trust them with that. She pushed the Glasgow to the limit, forcing it forward and leaping unto the tracks. The land spinners grinded against the rails, sparks flying behind her. The two Sutherlands followed close behind her, their rifles ready to bring her down. "Okay, what am I supposed to do now?" she quickly asked the voice before she noticed a cargo train speeding towards her.

Behind her, the Britannian sniggered. **"Simple-minded Eleven! The hunt is no fun if all you ever do is run!"** he jeered, but Kallen ignored him and continued her advance. The voice chimed in just in time too. _"Jump on the train! Quickly!"_

Kallen did as she was told, and the Glasgow leaped. It bounced off the front car, and dashed over to the other side. The first Sutherland stopped the train in ins path, its progress halted for the time being. **"Well, if you want to play it like that..."** The head turned to its ally behind it. **"You, go after the Glasgow!"**

The Sutherland obeyed, and jumped. Kallen expected it to give chase, but to her surprise, she found that it had been repelled, its lower torso cut clean off. Her eyes widened when she saw what could only be described as a white angel with blue wings standing in front of her. 'That has got to be the biggest Knightmare I've ever seen!' she thought in amazement. With the exception of its hands and torso, it was primarily colored white with black metal hands and a black chest unit with red and blue and green marks over it. It bore a Pharaoh like face, a crimson chin at the bottom with two golden 'v's atop its forehead, followed by two glowing eyes. It's back bore blue panels that stretched out like wings, and in one hand was a beam of light, wielded in the form of a blade. In the other was a white rifle.

"**W-what in the hell?!"** the Britannian cried in shock. **"Who are you?!"**

Kallen didn't expect him to answer, but the pilot, whose voice was identical to the one on the radio, snarled back in malevolence. _**"Enough of this pointless fighting already!"**_ the Devicer shouted as the machine shot forward with incredible speed. It took Kallen a moment to realize that the machine was, quite literally, flying. What kind of Knightmare was that? _**"What did these people do to deserve this?!"**_

The Sutherland jumped back, but it had lost its forearm to the blade. Steam flowed from it's missing metal limb, but still it remained defiant. **"Pointless fighting? Don't make me laugh!"** the Britannian cackled. **"They're nothing but filthy Elevens! They stole poison gas! Do you even know what they would do with that?!"**

_"**And it was you bastards who made the poison gas who made it!"**_ the pilot screamed back, not even bothered by the fact that the Sutherland aimed its rifle at him. _**"You people do nothing but kill and take whatever is in front of you! You start fights for no reason, when those you attack have done nothing wrong! And by the way! They're not Elevens, and they are not Japanese! They're human goddammit!"**_

Kallen's eyes widened at that. Not Japanese, and not Eleven, but human... She had never thought of it that way before. As if wanting to increase her shock, the Sutherland opened fire, but the white giant raised it's left arm over it, a white panel sliding back to reveal a green transparent shield. 'W-what in the?! It can deflect bullets too?!' she thought in shock, seeing the bullets being repelled. The Devicer within the Sutherland was shocked as well, but he quickly recovered as the machine charged forward again with the intent of cutting him down.

The Britannian did the smart thing, and eject before it got any closer. The cockpit shot out from the purple machine, allowing it to fall back. The white giant stopped, and the beam saber vanished, receding into the white hilt. It placed it on its hip before it turned to the still-stunned Kallen. _**"Are you okay?"**_ he asked.

Kallen snapped out of it, and nodded. "Y-yeah, thank you..." she said before she noticed a group of people coming up from behind. Relief washed over her. "Ohgi!"

"Kallen, you okay-Whoa, what in the hell is that?!" Ohgi stopped in his tracks once he saw the Knightmare's huge frame. "It's gigantic!" Before anything could be done, Kallen explained everything to them, about how he managed to contact her and saved her from the Britannians. They all visibly relaxed, with the exception of Tamaki. She understood, of course. He was the hard-headed one, the one that always suspected and never trusted until given a reason to do so.

"I don't like this guy!" the red-haired man stated stubbornly, glaring at the machine despite the fact that it could stomp him. "If he wants me to trust him, then he should show his face to us!"

"Tamaki, the guy saved Kallen!" Inoue said sternly, glaring back at him. "Isn't that enough reason to trust him?" Tamaki still didn't budge. Sugiyama sighed, shaking his and looking at the white giant apologetically. "Sorry about him. You don't have to-"

_"**No, it's okay..."**_ the boy responded. _**"Besides... I want you people to trust me. Just... please, don't try to shoot me, alright?"**_ Kallen frowned as her Glasgow stepped down from the train and the hatch sliding open, however she soon understood why as the chest unit hissed and slid open.

Stepping out and leaping down to the ground was a youth with raven black hair and beautiful purple eyes, bearing fair skin and a sheepish expression, along with a grimace of worry. There were two things that surprised Kallen, the first being that he was Britannian and not Japanese like she had originally thought. The second thing that surprised her was his clothing: it was a black uniform with gold trims. She had a uniform similar to it, but different because of her gender. It was an Ashford Academy uniform, meaning he was a student, just like her.

Instantly, faster than she could blink, Tamaki rushed forward and grabbed the boy by the collar. "What the hell is a goddamn Britannian doing here?!" he screamed, but the boy didn't budge. A guilt look flashed over his eyes, and yet he made no attempt to dislodge the man. Kallen's eyes widened in fright as Tamaki reached for his gun, but was stopped by Ohgi. "Tamaki, that is enough! I do agree it's strange he's Britannian, and a student like Kallen, but he saved her life, didn't he?!"

"Bullshit! The bastard is probably in on this massacre!" Tamaki snarled back. If looks could kill, the black-haired boy would be dead a hundred times over. "Him and his kind don't belong here! Did you forget what these bastards did to Naoto and everyone else here in Japan, even after the war was over?!"

Kallen winced, recalling every detail. The early days of Area 11 were probably the closest thing you could get to being in Hell, the discrimination harsh, even more so than it was today, and the ghettos in a much more decayed state than they were already. Honorary Britannians had it easy, but she didn't blame them for wanting that life. They had families to look after, mouths to feed, and lives to protect. A job they could hold down meant money for them to use, and health for the people important to them.

The boy was hesitant at first, but he spoke up at last. His voice was soft and smooth like a bass. "I know you don't trust me, but..." he looked at the man, straight in the eye, and his body went as straight as an arrow. "I don't want any more meaningless deaths! No one has the right to take someone else's life, no one..." He looked down at the ground. Even though his voice had gone quiet, the hearing system on board the Glasgow allowed her to hear him. "Not even Britannia."

Kallen felt a pang in her heart, but she didn't quite understand it. She glanced over at the machine he piloted, and closed her eyes. Tamaki was practically shaking in his shoes, about to beat the crap out of him while Ohgi and Sugiyama were trying to restrain him. Kallen made her choice then and there as she opened her eyes. "I say we trust him."

Tamaki looked betrayed, and Ohgi looked relieved. "What?! Kallen, this guy is a-"

"And in case you forgot, Tamaki-baka, I'm Britannian too, if only by half," she reminded the idiot. "Besides, he's right... No one has the right to kill someone else, especially if they have a family waiting for us back home as well."

Ohgi smiled, nodding as well. "Kallen's right." He turned to the boy. "Personally, I don't care if you're a Britannian. You saved Kallen, and that's all that matters. If that little plan you set up was anything, you're a pretty good strategist, so we'll follow your lead." He extended his hand. "I'm Kaname Ohgi, leader of the Kouzuki Resistance Cell."

Finally, a smile appeared on the boy's face, taking Ohgi's hand into his. "Lelouch Lamperouge."

**A crimson flower blooms within a sea of blue, and a bird of pure white takes to the azure sky. Black roses wilt, and in their place are white buds. The seed begins to sprout, but what shall it become?**

**A/N:** You know, typing with a hand and a half is hard, but writing a... not-Lelouch Lelouch is very hard, believe it or not. Anyway, as you can see, obviously this incarnation of Lelouch is more trusting, if a tad bit naive. I will say this, Seed of Freedom will not follow the cannon storyline, as there will be major differences. This is because of Lelouch's mindset, thinking that, while war is necessary, he doesn't want to be a murderer, so he is somewhat like Loran Cehack from Turn A Gundam. Also, Infinite Justice and Destiny will also appear, along with a few characters from Seed. Who they are, I won't say, you will have to find out.

And, for those of you wondering what happened to Lelouch when he was dealing with the Royal Guard... any fan of Seed should guess what that was. I won't confirm, but I will not deny. After all, that takes all the fun out of it. Anyway, my Persona X RWBY project is almost done, so it should be up within the first week of January. Also, unfortunately for the fans of my Persona X Code Geass fanfiction "Those That Defy Fate", it will undergo a hiatus, most because my sister has to deal with college and all of that. Even though we are on winter break, she still has projects. She is, how do you say... an over achiever. By the Christmas yesterday was AWESOME! I got Seasons 2 and 3 of One Piece, along with S1 and S2 of Walking Dead! Suffice to say. I. Am. Stoked!

Well, this is Demons Anarchy of Pride, and I'm out of here. Ciao~


	3. Turn 03:

**Code Geass: The Seed of Freedom**

_Stage 03: Emergence of the Knight and Devil_

* * *

><p>"All men... are NOT created equal." –Charles Zi Britannia, Code Geass<p>

* * *

><p>"Hey, you sure about this Ohgi?"<p>

The afro-haired man sighed at Tamaki's words. Ever since they had agreed to work with Lelouch, the man had been suspicious, if not downright openly seething in anger. Then again, it wasn't any surprise. Many people within the resistance had lost their loved ones to Britannia, and seeing a Britannian with a powerful machine was reason enough not to trust him. But, Ohgi and Kallen saw him differently. It was the look in his eyes that made Ohgi not want to doubt the boy, and trust him.

That kid lived through hell and made it back, albeit not unscathed.

"They've all had their IFF's removed. How can we be sure it's not a trap?" the red-haired man asked Ohgi, to which the man shook his head. "The other side has the advantage here, they don't need traps. Also, give the kid a chance, Tamaki. He saved Kallen's life." Tamaki grumbled something while everyone chuckled. They respected him as their leader since Naoto died, and as much as Ohgi wanted to step down, everyone looking at him with expectancy, and a few words from Kallen, and he found it hard to have someone else take over for him. "Okay, everyone, get into position."

"Ohgi, you there?" Lelouch's voice cracked through the radio transmission. "I'm not sure if they worked as what you're used to, but..."

"Don't worry," Ohgi assured the boy. "They work the same as a Glasgow. Is Kallen almost in position?"

"Yeah, she should be on schedule." Lelouch replied. "Once the enemy sees here, two enemy Sutherlands will enter the alley." Ohgi noticed there was a sign of hesitance in his voice. It was then that Ohgi realized that he hadn't killed anyone yet. "...Shoot them through the wall."

Tamaki scowled. "The bastard is out of his mind!" he cried out, obviously doubting the plan in the first place. Ohgi, on the other hand, was willing to place his faith in this plan, and felt his hands grip the controls tightly.

"Everyone, check you're weapons."

~~~Emergence of the Knight and Devil~~~

Lelouch tried his best to calm down his already fast-beating heart as the Strike Freedom hovered in the air, holding the rifle in both hands. "Okay, calm down..." he told himself over and over. "You can do this... Just aim for the limbs, make them eject..." His palms were beginning to be caked in sweat. "Don't kill anyone... Don't be like them... You are nothing like them..."

With that said, he took a deep breath, and finally allowed himself to calm down, and opened his eyes, revealing them to be azure blue rather than violet purple. "Let's begin the operation."

~~~Emergence of the Knight and Devil~~~

"Three..."

Ohgi felt a bead of sweat fall from his face and drip down to the seat.

"Two..."

He felt his hands shaking from the sheer pressure of it all.

"One..."

Please, let this work...!

"FIRE!"

~~~Emergence of the Knight and Devil~~~

Kallen watched from her vantage point as the wall adjacent to the two Sutherlands that were chasing after her once she revealed her position was reduced to Swiss cheese, streams of bullets pounding on them before they managed to eject. "I don't believe it..." she breathed in amazement. "It worked!"

~~~Emergence of the Knight and Devil~~~

Lelouch sighed in relief. Neither of the pilots was willing to lose their lives. That was good. It meant that they valued their own life, despite them taking others' lives. He focused on his task and began to issue orders left and right, using Strike Freedom to take down any surprise guests, aiming for their limbs and weapons.

"I'll be providing cover fire!" he told the group after he shot down a Sutherland that had Inoue dead to rights. "Minami, Yoshida, aim your slash harkens to the right, seven degrees north-west!"

Two anchors fired off, ripping the Britannian Sutherland's arms and legs off, forcing them to eject.

"Kallen, go forty degrees west and take out the sniper!"

The red Glasgow leaped unto the building. Just as the sniper turned around to open its factsphere, Kallen slammed it down with a hard right hook, knocking the pilot out with a single blow.

"Sugiyama, toss your chaos grenade over the wall!"

The blue-haired resistance member did as he was told, and the Sutherland obeyed. As soon as it was in the air, a shower of bullets rained down upon three unsuspecting Britannian Knightmares.

"Tamaki, aim to the left, and fire forty degrees north!"

The red-haired man grumbled, but did as he was told. The floor above him collapsed in front of him, and two Sutherlands fell down to the ground, crushed and unable to move.

"Shoji, aim turret twenty degrees northwest and nine degrees down!"

The tank bounced slightly once the shell was released, blasting a hole through the unsuspecting Knightmare.

~~~Emergence of the Knight and Devil~~~

Clovis couldn't believe what he was seeing. When he learned that the immortal woman, C.C. she called herself, held some sort of supernatural power, he knew he was close to finding a sure-fire way to obtain immortality, and a way to obtain the throne. However, there was always that little voice in the back of his head that told him to give up this foolish endeavor, but he always shoved it back to someplace where he wouldn't have to hear it again. He nearly had a heart attack when he learned that a group of resistance fighters had gotten their hands on her. Naturally, he couldn't let anyone know, so he told only those he could trust, those within the royal guard, and informed the rest that it was poison gas, calling the resistance fighters "terrorists". It worked like a charm, and the media was eating up.

Sometimes, it was all too scary to see how easy it was to fool them.

However, it was shortly after his announcement that to eliminate the resistance cell, along with everyone else in the ghetto, that things suddenly went south. "Lazlo Squad, and Vallerie Squad, lost!" one of his advisors shouted in disbelief and shock, the monitor showing their forces being decimated one after another. Strangely, a vast majority of the forces were either horribly damaged, long past the point of being able to fight, or ejected. The attacks were well planned, as well as effective. It was almost like a game of chess.

"Wait, could this mean..." Clovis muttered, eyes narrowing. "That they've gotten their hands on our weaponry?"

~~~Emergence of the Knight and Devil~~~

Lelouch growled as he dashed forward at an incredible speed, cutting down an oncoming Sutherland before thrusting the rifle in the gash, using it as a quick make-shift stand and opened fire, taking down several other Knightmares, aiming directly for the limbs and weapons rather than the cockpit. Sensing something behind him, he quickly backed away, evading a strike from a Stun Tonfa and ramming the beam saber into the abdomen, piercing the Energy Filler and barely missing the cockpit. With a swift tug, the blade was removed, and the Sutherland lurched forward.

"All of you, stand down!" Lelouch pleaded as he saw more reinforcements appeared from the buildings. It was a trap that had been meant of Sugiyama and Minami, likely a counter-move Clovis set up. His brother had gotten better... but not good enough. "Lay down your weapons, and surrender!"

His words fell on deaf ears, and they attacked. The bullets bounced off the barrier he set up with the Strike Freedom's arm, and scowled heavily. "Fine... have it your way!" He leaped, and Strike Freedom synced with him, dodging streams of bullets with grace, floating in the air and shooting down Sutherlands in the process. All of his targets lost their weapons and legs, unable to fight, thus leaving them the only available option of ejecting before things got ugly. Of course, some still tried to resist, leaping towards them in a final act of glory. Lelouch gritted his teeth, seeing only one option he could perform with them at such a close range.

Before they had even realized it, the machine was already behind them, it's blue fins spread out behind it as if they were wings about to take flight, and Lelouch felt tears fall from his face, the grip on the controls tightening once the machines exploded behind him. So... this was what it felt like to take a life.

"You'd still be alive if you stayed home."

~~~Emergence of the Knight and Devil~~~

"Change our codes, they're intercepting them!" Bartley barked orders left and right once they realized that the enemy had managed to get their hands on Sutherlands, but these machines had their IFF's removed, thus resulting in them being completely off the grid. However, it was obvious that the IFF's of the other soldiers could still be seen.

"We have!" another shouted back. "Four times already!"

Clovis had enough, and stood up from his throne. "This is completely unacceptable!" he growled, stepping down his throne and waltzing up to the center where his advisors waited for him.

Bartley paled, seeing his fate only inches away. "B-but, you're Highness!"

Just then, the screen flickered to life to reveal the same man that had just offered Suzaku the pilot experience of a lifetime, smiling with a Cheshire-like grin. "Good afternoon! How is everything?" Lloyd asked with a knowing glint in his eye. "Might I suggest sending out A.S.E.E.C's special weapon?"

"Why you...!" Bartley growled in anger while Clovis gritted his teeth, hoping it wouldn't have to come to that just yet. At the rate things were going...

"I've seen enough..." the prince decided, eyes glowing in anger and determination. "Have Burt's Squad pull in!"

"But, my lord!" Bartley exclaimed in shock. "That will break the encirclement!"

"That doesn't matter right now!" Clovis retorted fiercely. "Send some of the units guarding me to form a temporary post in Burt's place! All that we can be sure of is that the enemy is here! They're likely here, at this center dot!" he pointed at the abandoned warehouse in the southern section of the ghetto. "Wipe them all out in one fell swoop!"

~~~Emergence of the Knight and Devil~~~

Lelouch couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Clovis, that has GOT to be the stupidest thing you could pull." he said, the empty feeling from earlier still lingering in full force. "How many lives will you toss away like trash? I..." He gripped the controls tightly. "I can't let this continue!"

_'I could have Kallen go underground and shatter the concrete floor below them, taking them all down at once...'_ exiled prince thought before shaking his head fiercely. _'No, if I do that... I can't let anyone get involved in this.'_ His purple orbs flashed blue, and the mark of Geass appeared. _'I can do this by myself... I can end all of this fighting alone, with Strike Freedom!'_

In the back of his mind, a seed shattered, and the roots of the king's throne spread over, encompassing his being and state of mind.

The White Devil had awakened.

~~~Emergence of the Knight and Devil~~~

Tamaki nearly shit his pants when he saw the Britannian student piloting the gigantic Knightmare shoot above them and slam into an old abandoned warehouse. All of them had been given orders to retreat and steer clear of the area, and they knew why: there were several Sutherlands armed to the teeth, all of them ready to take them down.

"Is this guy nuts?" Tamaki muttered. "There's tons of 'em! He's gonna get himself killed!" As much as he wanted to hate the kid, Tamaki knew that he had saved a lot of lives by intervening, something he was grateful for. Even still, even he had a superior machine, it wouldn't amount to much against a gigantic horde of this size.

"He's got guts, I'll give him that." Sugiyama offered. "Still, not too many Brits like him."

"No kidding." Inoue chuckled. "But, what I'd like to know is where the hell did he get his hands on something like that?"

"Maybe it's an experimental Knightmare he came across?" Minami offered. "Seriously, though, I'd hate to think what the Britannians could do with something like that."

Kallen said nothing, mostly because she didn't even want to think what they could do with the gigantic weapon. Tamaki could picture it: scrapped pieces of metal all over the place, accompanied by mountains of corpses. After a while, she finally spoke up. "Why do you think he hates watching people die?" she asked, almost timidly. "It's almost like he's..."

"I think he lived through it." Ohgi piped in. "I could see it in his eyes."

"What?" Tamaki asked curiously. "What did he live through?"

"The war," the leader said grimly. "I think he lived through the invasion, and saw it all... The first days were hell on Earth, especially when Britannia revealed the Knightmares. Schools, hospitals, old military bases... they were the first targets, striking out at anything that housed soldiers for cover."

"So... you think he was here for the invasion?" Kallen asked, almost horrified. Even Tamaki felt as if something had twisted his stomach from the inside out. A kid that watched people die right in front of him, especially as a child... he didn't want to imagine what that did to a kid's psyche.

"Yeah... Any child that lives through a war like that, especially when it's you're own people attacking, wouldn't want to see any more people die." Ohgi smiled sadly. "...He reminds me of Naoto, back before the days of the resistance."

~~~Emergence of the Knight and Devil~~~

The Britannian had never known fear. Why should he? He was a Britannian under the service of Jeremiah Gottwald, a pureblood that served under the command of the late consort Marianne vi Britannia, the most fearsome Britannian woman you would ever meet! He had no way he could lose, especially considering that he came from a noble family! This was his chance to prove his worthiness!

Of course, that was the plan...

Until IT appeared.

Fear washed over him, his body frozen in place, and his hands refusing to move. It's gargantuan form towered over them, slicing and blasting through them as if they were nothing. It cut down, but did not kill. It shot down, but did not slay. It was as if it were avoiding casualties altogether, yet this fact did little to lessen his fear.

"Swartz, what the hell is going on?!" General Bartley demanded over the comm-link, but the soldier could not answer. He was horrified beyond belief, a puddle beginning to form in his undergarments, seeping through the uniform.

It was getting closer!

"Swartz, give me a damned status report!" the prince demanded, but the soldier didn't care. "SCREW YOUR STATUS REPORT!" he screamed back hysterically, finally taking flight. He saw the remnants of a Sutherland tossed overhead, and continued his speed. "Oh god... oh god, oh god!"

"Swartz, dammit, what the hell is happening?!" Prince Clovis demanded hotly. "How many are there?!"

"It's... it's one!" Swartz finally answered, sweat pouring down his face like a waterfall.

"What?! Is it a new model Knightmare?!"

"It's..." Swartz turned around just in time to see it in his face, it's blade reared back to claim him. "It's a demon!"

"A DEMON!"

And so fell the blade of judgement.

~~~Emergence of the Knight and Devil~~~

Clovis took a step back in fear, a visual image from Swartz's unit finally unveiling itself.

No...

It couldn't be...

That was impossible...

There was no way they could have gotten their hands on it...

But...

They did...

They managed to steal it...

But...

How could they pilot it?

None of Cornelia's soldiers, hell not even a Knight of the Round, much less Bismarck, could control it, or even get it to move for that matter!

So how?

How did they find a pilot?

Regardless of how it happened or why... the resistance cell had obtained a weapon that could decimate every last Britannian that stood in their way.

"Lloyd!" Clovis shrieked, glaring at the scientist who smirked in victory. "Can it win?" He knew there was no chance of his brother's toy defeating that monster... but what else could he do? "Can Schneizel's toy defeat them?"

Lloyd leaned back, smiling all the while as if Christmas had come early for him. "My lord..." he said, pushing up his glasses. "Please, do call it Lancelot."

~~~Emergence of the Knight and Devil~~~

"So, did you read the manual?"

"Pretty much."

"You scored the highest on the simulator in your class. Regardless, be careful."

"Right... hey, about that thing from before?"

"Oh, well... the chances are next to zero."

"But, there's still a chance, right?"

"Yes, but still, you shouldn't be so reckless. The new system hasn't been equipped with an ejection seat yet."

"Right, understood."

Once Suzaku put on the slim-fitting uniform, hiding his bandages from the world, he stepped out of the medical carrier and into the ghetto once more. He saw a large machine hidden behind a ragged cloak, but the clamps were already removing themselves. Once they were released, the cloak fell back, and Suzaku looked at the machine in absolute awe. "So... that's it?" he asked, almost breathlessly.

The Knightmare was humanoid in form, possessing slim mechanical hands and a pristine white body bearing golden trims and a white stream sticking outward from the back of its head, it's eyes burning bright green. It was taller than the Sutherlands, without a doubt, and it's very appearance radiated strength and power. Truly, if a Knightmare could be given the shape of a knight in shining armor, this would be it's chosen form.

"Yes, the special weapon designed by the special corps unit..." Cecile said to him via communicator. "The Z-01 Lancelot, the world's first 7th-Generation Knightmare Frame."

'Lancelot...' Suzaku repeated in his mind, swallowing the nervous lump in his throat before stepping towards it, placing his foot and the lowered stirrup. As it lifted him up, the cockpit slid open with a hiss. "So, Suzaku, shall we begin with the initial start-up?" Lloyd asked once he stepped inside the room. Suzaku nodded once he was seated, the cockpit closing and sliding him forward, now in front of the controls.

He took a deep breath, and as the system check-up and start-up were taking place, his hands, albeit shakily, grasped the controls, and his green eyes burned brightly, looking out past the screen, showing the ruined city of Shinjuku before him. "So far, it's going per the data..." Lloyd muttered before Cecile spoke up over the communicator once again.

"Suzaku, you are good to go."

"Right." he nodded in confirmation. For a moment, his eyes changed from soft green to a cold, dark blue, almost obsidian before shifting back. "Lancelot... ME boost!"

The Knightmare responded to him, and spread it's feet apart, one hand reared behind him, and the other with the finger's touching the ground. Once the cables were disconnected, the land spinners went into overdrive, and Lancelot shout out of the gate in full force, a gust of wind blasting out from behind it, causing most of the people in the room to fall to the floor.

Lloyd cackled, happy that his creation was now with the missing piece of the equation.

"Full throttle, right out of the front gate!"

The White Knight had awakened.

~~~Emergence of the Knight and Devil~~~

Watching the events from afar, the woman with green hair stood atop a ruined tower, watching the white Knightmare that had appeared late into the battle, and the Gundam that had just finished taking down every last Sutherland in the area, heading towards each other. "Huh, I didn't think he would get a second Geass..." C.C. said, amused. "That doesn't happen very often."

"It's only proof of what he will become, of what he is capable of..." a feminine voice told her with glee, causing the woman to sigh.

"And you call yourself a mother..." C.C. groaned, watching the two with interest. "...They're the same. Both of them had their fates altered. Once they encounter each other, they will embark on the path of no return."

"But, which path will they take?" the voice asked, but something told C.C. the woman already knew the answer. "The path of peace? The path of war? ...It'll only be a matter of time."

"Yes." C.C. nodded. "After all... they are the Coordinators of this world." The immortal witch couldn't help but crack a smile. "I wonder what he would say if he saw all of this. You would probably agree with him, wouldn't you? The two of you hate war, after all."

"Who are you talking about?" the voice asked her curiously. C.C. did not answer. "Hmph, fine, be that way..." With that, the voice vanished, leaving the woman to her own devices.

C.C. grinned slightly. "And now it begins.." she giggled. "I can't help but wonder when the seed within them will finally bloom?"

_**Two white hawks take to the skies, each battling for dominance. Below them, the black roses have begun to bloom. The sky becomes tainted red. The seed buried in the ground begins to take root. It is only a matter of time before the war will begin...**_

**A/N:** And with that, the third chapter of Seed of Freedom is completed. I hope you guys enjoy this, because this is becoming a bitch to complete! Seriously! Oh well... it's actually good practice for me for when I want to start getting into the publishing industry.

You guys got a first glimpse at what I had been alluding to in the previous chapter. Yep, that's right. Lelouch. Is. A. Coordinator. Does this mean he's related to Kira? No. He is not. As much as the idea intrigues me, I do not believe that would actually fit the storyline all that well. Did I allude to Suzaku being a Coordinator as well? Yes I did. But, there is a third one as well. Who that is, well, you guys will just have to guess.

The next chapter, we get to see two Coordinators duke it out, one in a machine worthy of its nickname as the White Devil, and the other one of the most badass Knightmares in the world of Code Geass... though it would be better if it was Albion XD Anyway, like, follow, favorite, review, the usual stuff. Tell me what you thought, and tell me how I can improve my skill. My next update will be Those That Defy Fate, so yeah, we get to see Makoto and Sho kick each other's ass.

Well, see ya~


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